Oak Park mayor reelected despite controversies

Oak Park Mayor Marian McClellan won reelection Tuesday along with a slate of two newly elected City Council members she supported.

McClellan faced a write-in challenge from former longtime Mayor Gerald Naftaly and some controversy over her successful effort to allow beer and wine sales by the glass at restaurants with some restrictions.

Until this summer when the City Council voted to allow tavern licenses, Oak Park had been the largest dry city in the state.

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“We had a 50-year tradition of not allowing any alcohol to be served,” McClellan said. “People were being frightened by the issue and I thought at the time it might lose me the election. But it was an important step in our economic development in the city and had to be done.”

McClellan won with 2,902 votes to 1,331 write-in votes cast for Naftaly, according to unofficial tallies.

At the polls Tuesday even dedicated McClellan supporters like Judy Sima were unsure what effect the tavern license issue would have on voters.

“It probably had an effect,” Sima said. “But nowadays people want to have a glass of wine with meals when they go to a restaurant.”

McClellan’s first two-year term as mayor was fraught with budget cuts and a millage increase.

The Public Safety Department lost 17 officers, or about 20 percent of its force. Five officers have been added since and McClellan said the priority in the coming budget is to bring more officers back.

McClellan was often on the opposite side of votes with some council members who had served with Naftaly and were still loyal to him.

However, Tuesday’s vote swept into office two new council members – Carolyn Burns and Kiesha Speech – who are McClellan supporters on the five-member council.

“I think Mayor McClellan has done a good job,” Speech said. “She has pushed for economic development. The tavern license issue was (a factor) in the election, but it will bring new economic opportunities to the city. I’m hearing a lot of good things about development in Oak Park.”

Naftaly supporter Mark Kaylian worked at the polls Tuesday helping with the former mayor’s election bid.

“I’ve known (Naftaly) for 30 years and he cares about the city and has ethics,” Kaylian said. “I really think that is the reason he decided to (run) again.”